| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Poll: What role has popular culture (movies, TV, books) played in you learning your acquired language? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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Evans (X)
Local time: 21:58
Spanish to English
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| popular culture and more | May 11, 2012 |
Astérix took me to French and Lorca to Spanish, Saramago to Portuguese...
From the ridiculous to the sublime, they all played a role in sparking off my desire to learn these languages. And the rest is history...
| | | | TRA 2 
Italy
Local time: 22:58
Member (2014)
English to Italian
+ ...
For me music has been THE reason why I wanted to learn English.
I was touched by the melodies of many songs and I wanted to know their meaning too!
I spent hours looking up for words in the dictionary! Often, I translated literal meaning and obviously it did not make much sense in the end! So, I was disappointed because the lyrics didn't match the "poetry" of the tunes (sometimes, it also happened that lyrics were really bad so it wasn't about my language skills!![]() ... See more For me music has been THE reason why I wanted to learn English.
I was touched by the melodies of many songs and I wanted to know their meaning too!
I spent hours looking up for words in the dictionary! Often, I translated literal meaning and obviously it did not make much sense in the end! So, I was disappointed because the lyrics didn't match the "poetry" of the tunes (sometimes, it also happened that lyrics were really bad so it wasn't about my language skills! )
I still use idiomatic expressions that I know I learnt through music. For example, "Bury the Hatchet" which is the title of an album by the Irish rock band The Cranberries. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Michael Harris
Germany
Local time: 22:58
Member (2006)
German to English
| nothing whatsoever | May 11, 2012 |
I just wanted to learn it because I had penfriends here those days and before I noticed it, 20 years were gone
| | | | Alison Sparks (X)
Local time: 22:58
French to English
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| Fairly important | May 11, 2012 |
especially the news, and for humour. On arriving in France my French was pretty rusty, so as I spoke English most of the day to start with, this kind of radio or TV programme was ideal for getting up to speed again. I found books were more useful for refreshing grammar and sentence construction!
Since then I've been immersed in the language and culture, and consequently learnt a lot of regional phrases, slang and other useful phrases which imo only constant contact with the peopl... See more especially the news, and for humour. On arriving in France my French was pretty rusty, so as I spoke English most of the day to start with, this kind of radio or TV programme was ideal for getting up to speed again. I found books were more useful for refreshing grammar and sentence construction!
Since then I've been immersed in the language and culture, and consequently learnt a lot of regional phrases, slang and other useful phrases which imo only constant contact with the people as well as the language can provide. ▲ Collapse
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neilmac
Spain
Local time: 22:58
Spanish to English
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Quite a bit. I think listening and exposure to the living language is important in acquisition and I see examples every day of how ex-pats who mostly go to Irish /English theme pubs and hang out with other "guiris" (Spanish for foreigners) never quite get beyond a rudimentary grasp. I have one friend who's been in Spain for almost 4 years yet still has an elementary level and has even started paying someone to give him one-on-one classes, which still isn't helping much; but he just can't bring ... See more Quite a bit. I think listening and exposure to the living language is important in acquisition and I see examples every day of how ex-pats who mostly go to Irish /English theme pubs and hang out with other "guiris" (Spanish for foreigners) never quite get beyond a rudimentary grasp. I have one friend who's been in Spain for almost 4 years yet still has an elementary level and has even started paying someone to give him one-on-one classes, which still isn't helping much; but he just can't bring himself to sit through a whole movie dubbed into Spanish or listen to the radio.
I think you need to know the culture to really know the language - and I don't necessarily just mean Cervantes or Dickens, but trash or popular culture too. For example the names of cartoon characters, or TV catchphrases are all grist to the mill. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Super important | May 11, 2012 |
When I first came to Spain, I had no Spanish, lived with English speakers and taught English. Books and films were the only means I had to learn the language (conversation exchanges didn't get very far those days, with my limited Spanish).
Twenty years later, I rarely get the chance to speak English, and spend my days "reading" Spanish (for translation). Now I read books and watch films in English as much as I can, otherwise I worry that I might forget how to speak it...
| | | | Helen Hagon
Local time: 21:58
Member (2011)
Russian to English
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As an English teenager desperate to learn languages but with little opportunity for travel, immersing myself in foreign culture was the next best thing. I would get up in the middle of the night to watch foreign films on TV (we had no video or satellites then), listened to foreign radio stations and read every book, magazine or newspaper I could get my hands on.
| | | | Isabelle F. BRUCHER (X)
Belgium
Local time: 22:58
English to French
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| If "popular culture" is movies & TV, no role at all. | May 11, 2012 |
I don't consider books as "popular culture" but rather as elite culture...
Then what type of books: cartoons or novels & essays?
One of those polls again...
Funny that some underline at lengths that they learned languages through human contacts but ended up voting "played a very important role", even if they of course read a few books and magazines, like anybody who learns written languages.
Movies and (films on) TV mostly teach you slang. ... See more I don't consider books as "popular culture" but rather as elite culture...
Then what type of books: cartoons or novels & essays?
One of those polls again...
Funny that some underline at lengths that they learned languages through human contacts but ended up voting "played a very important role", even if they of course read a few books and magazines, like anybody who learns written languages.
Movies and (films on) TV mostly teach you slang. I don't see the use of it, unless for people who want to specialize in subtitling other movies...
Plus registered sound is much more difficult to understand, so that is not a way to learn/acquire a language (cf. the question), it might only be useful to maintain one's knowledge of a language, although there is nothing like face to face communication...
How can you learn how to use such or such word if you have not actually lived the situation: context in which such word was used, what happened just before, the face of the person who said that, and so on. Just like a child who learns his/her own mother tongue, in fact. ▲ Collapse
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Ty Kendall
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:58
Hebrew to English
| How the tables have turned....I like this poll! | May 11, 2012 |
Isabelle Brucher wrote:
I don't consider books as "popular culture" but rather as elite culture...
Hmmm, what about "Harry Potter". If these books aren't popular culture, I don't know what is. (The same argument could be applied to the Twilight saga, Dan Brown's tomes etc).
Then what type of books: cartoons or novels & essays?
Not sure this matters, literature is literature is literature. It's all reading practice. I mentioned that my teacher used to get me reading children's literature. Partially because reading a full blown novel would have been a bit daunting at that stage, but also because of the special way language is used and manipulated in children's literature, in addition to the register (it taught me a lot of nice literary/poetic language.
One of those polls again...
Hell just froze over....I actually like this poll!
Movies and (films on) TV mostly teach you slang. I don't see the use of it, unless for people who want to specialize in subtitling other movies...
Slang is important, on a number of levels and it can have many uses. You'd be surprised how often I come across slang in otherwise quite haughty documents. Not only that, sometimes it's as important to know what not to say, what word not to use.
How can you learn how to use such or such word if you have not actually lived the situation: context in which such word was used, what happened just before, the face of the person who said that, and so on. Just like a child who learns his/her own mother tongue, in fact.
I'm not so sure I'd be so quick to compare the two (learning your first language and a second language). There's quite a lot of important differences. Some of the things you mention can be inferred by a L2 learner in a way not possible by someone learning their L1.
| | | | Julian Holmes
Japan
Local time: 05:58
Member (2011)
Japanese to English
| A very important one | May 12, 2012 |
When I first studied Japanese at college years back -- 37 to be precise -- exposure to anything Japanese outside college walls was extremely limited. There were almost no Japanese programs, documentaries about Japan on TV, reading a full-length novel was like climbing Everest and Japanese magazines and comics were very hard to come by. The situation today, however, has changed a lot with interest for things Japanese gaining momentum worldwide.
It was my job in the Japanese Society t... See more When I first studied Japanese at college years back -- 37 to be precise -- exposure to anything Japanese outside college walls was extremely limited. There were almost no Japanese programs, documentaries about Japan on TV, reading a full-length novel was like climbing Everest and Japanese magazines and comics were very hard to come by. The situation today, however, has changed a lot with interest for things Japanese gaining momentum worldwide.
It was my job in the Japanese Society to run down and pick up Japanese films every once in a while. Films were a great way to learn -- they added visual and cultural context to what I was learning. They helped add relevance. And they were fun, too.
I'd assume that answers to the affirmative in this poll would be taken for granted. Otherwise, acquiring your second language would be boring, pointless and no fun at all, rather like learning in a vacuum and you have only your own voice to listen to.
Edited small typo
[Edited at 2012-05-12 07:13 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Music and movies | May 12, 2012 |
Although Greek music is not by far something I enjoy listening, I used to listen to Greek music all the time, find the lyrics (or try to write the lyrics myself and then crosscheck with the real lyrics), translate them. They also helped me improve my pronunciation and while living in Cyprus, local people would ask me from which part of Greece I am coming.
These extra study methods were not used by our teachers (university = theory), but they certainly helped a great deal.
| | | | Dave Bindon
Greece
Local time: 23:58
Greek to English
In memoriam
I've been listening to Greek music since I was 4 and, unlike Veronica, I love it. I'm sure that that early introduction played a significant role in my ability to pronounce Greek. Later, once I started learning Greek, the music was my sole contact with the language other than what I read in my "Teach Yourself Greek" book and a two week holiday every couple of years.
In the early years most of the music I listened to was from the 50s and 60s, if not before. That led to a few amusing ... See more I've been listening to Greek music since I was 4 and, unlike Veronica, I love it. I'm sure that that early introduction played a significant role in my ability to pronounce Greek. Later, once I started learning Greek, the music was my sole contact with the language other than what I read in my "Teach Yourself Greek" book and a two week holiday every couple of years.
In the early years most of the music I listened to was from the 50s and 60s, if not before. That led to a few amusing moments when I used words and phrases which haven't really been in use since WWII! I generally listen to more modern music these days, and it's a great source of new vocabulary (although some of the words I've picked up from Greek rap music are best left unrepeated). ▲ Collapse
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TRA 2
Italy
Local time: 22:58
Member (2014)
English to Italian
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| You need to know the language to really understand the culture, too | May 12, 2012 |
neilmac wrote:
I think you need to know the culture to really know the language - and I don't necessarily just mean Cervantes or Dickens, but trash or popular culture too. For example the names of cartoon characters, or TV catchphrases are all grist to the mill.
I think that it is also true the other way round, so that you need to know the language to really understand the culture. Actually, they are probably inseparable!
You can learn a lot about different cultures (or humanity, in general) through the different languages spoken.
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